Hedges are traditionally planted to define property boundaries, increase privacy, and provide shelter from prevailing winds. These hedges may achieve a formal appearance through proper cultivation, and can be trimmed as medium height hedges at 6-8 ft. or grown as taller screens or windbreaks easily exceeding 12 ft. If not pruned properly, the hedges may quickly become overgrown and unmanageable. The hedgerow top and sides are traditionally trimmed up to several times a year in the growing season, to maintain the hedge's shape.
Trimming the tops and sides of larger hedges can easily become cumbersome and time consuming. Cultivation with traditional hand-held trimmers requires the operator to mount a ladder to reach the hedge tops. The ladder must be continually repositioned along the hedgerow for proper trimming. For exceptionally wide hedgerows, the operator must repeat the trimming operation along alternate sides. Trimmers requiring use of an outdoor extension cord present additional challenges for tall hedgerows because the cord may become entangled with the operator and ladder. Moreover, conventional eight foot home ladders may be inadequate for proper operator support during trimming of exceptionally large hedges. Combustion driven hedge trimmers present additional obstacles to the operator due to increased weight, noise, and the burdens associated with the use of liquid fuel. Battery technology has recently advanced to be capable of providing sufficient electrical energy to hand-held outdoor power tools, eliminating the need for a power cord or a combustion engine. An example of a rechargeable battery used in conjunction with a power tool is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,572, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Furthermore, proper trimming of the top and bottom of the hedges may require cutting at angles to achieve the proper appearance. This would force a user to climb a ladder to reach the top portion of the hedge or bend down to access the bottom portion of the hedge. Both of these options are cumbersome and burdensome for a user.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a portable trimmer to easily and safely trim a variety of plant life, including large hedges and hedgerows, small twigs and the like. There also remains a need for a portable trimmer that allows cutting at various angles to better achieve the proper hedge appearance.